National Guard looking for way to dispose of propellant

BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana National Guard is looking for a way to dispose of military propellant that was stored at Camp Minden.

Authorities say the 19 million pounds of propellant had been improperly stored.

Major General Glenn Curtis told the House homeland security committee that the U.S. Department of Defense has ignored requests for assistance in removing the material.

The small town of Doyline was evacuated last year after the propellant was discovered.State officials say the material was moved to a safe and secure site at Camp Minden after that.

Explo Systems Inc. was leasing space at Camp Minden for a federal military contract to separate military propellant bags and resell the components. Curtis says it's the federal government's responsibility to remove the propellant.